Introduction
Understanding how and why the Holocaust happened is not easy. As with many events in history, there were multiple causes and various unforeseeable developments which combined to make it happen. A critical factor was antisemitism. While it was not the only cause, without it the persecution and murder of Jewish people would not have occurred.
This lesson deepens students’ knowledge and understanding of antisemitism through the lens of Bergen-Belsen. Students explore the lives and experiences of three individuals who were liberated at Bergen-Belsen. By learning more about what happened to these survivors during the 1930s and 1940s they come to better understand how people came to be at Bergen-Belsen in April 1945 and acquire insights into the broader phenomenon of antisemitism – then and now.
The original Belsen 75 programme was delivered by UCL Centre for Holocaust Education, the Holocaust Educational Trust, with support from the National Holocaust Centre and Museum, and made possible thanks to funding from the Department for Education.